Who's Ben Arent?
Ben is a 2008 graduate product designer from Middlesex University. This website is dedicated to his Design work. Ben is currently working at the TRIL Centre as an Interaction Designer. This job has taken Ben to Ireland where he enjoys living 'life' to the full, doing such things as Kite surfing, Mountain Boarding, Training for a Triatherlon and traveling.
What is Ben Arent About?
I try to not see myself as a typical designer. I prefer an IDEO way of thinking about my design process, and believe that as Product Designer I'm a master of all trades, and a explorer of everything. This means a constant exploring of anything new, while trying to create professional products, experiences.
I believe that Product Design has changed a lot since I even started my Degree, and I see myself being about
- Ecological Design
- User Experience
- Innovation
Why did you make benarent.co.uk?
I have been creating website for over 7 years now. Being the first generation to really grow up with the Internet, I wanted to give back to the internet by creating a portfolio site and also make an online repository for my thoughts, work, views and experiences.
Creating a more complete website has been meant that I have got a lot of press attention, and it has also brought a lot of interested of commercial buyers and art galley curators.
You can read my blog, view my ideas, read about 'my' process or just Digg till you can't Digg no more.
Where would you like to be in 5 years?
This is a question i don't know if I will ever answer. I don't' see my self as a traditional product designer, my skills in Engineering and Sketching isn't that of the 1st class Product Designers. Yet, I believe I have a multidisciplinary knowledge coupled with a keenness to become an entrepreneur. There are areas that I'm interested and are I hope to work somewhere along these lines.
- Interaction Design:
The Digital Revolution has just started, and I want to create useful interaction products, not just fridges that tell you are out of milk. - Ecological Design:
That thing called the environment is dying pretty fast, and all we can do is create 190 different styles of hair straighter. As product designers, we are just feeding peoples need to consume. We all need products, but I believe the product designer could have more to do with the Ecological aspects of there design. - Action Sports Design:
The reason why Action sports drives me to it, is as it was Mountain boarding that lead me to product design. I reason I would want to work in the Action Sports industry is the people. Everyone is so passionate, so friendly from consumers to suppliers. Everyone just gets it, and there is a lot less hassle than working with the politics of Furniture / Lighting Design which is 'just a little' to pretentious for my taste. Yet maybe I could change that?
